Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (18 July 1918 - 5 December 2013)
"The father of our nation closed his eyes so that the rest of the world may open theirs" (written by Seth_fearGOD on Twitter)
I have both hope and fear in equal parts that this statement will become reality. Hope that the real intention behind these words might become the reality. Fear because of the ambiguity of this statement and the possibility that it may become reality. With the giant gone, the ANC is now free from his shadow and therefore free to do whatever it is that they want to do with our beautiful country.
I have not read the papers, listened to news reports and have tried to stay out of conversations about the topic. This is a massive generalisation, but I have found that it is not always possible to have a balanced conversation with anyone who is not from SA because most non-South Africans idolised Nelson Mandela and by proxy, think that the ANC is doing right by its people and helping liberate them from the shadows of apartheid, when in fact, the exact opposite is true. I can't express this to anybody here because there is no telling anybody what the current situation is because most people cannot separate Nelson Mandela from his political party. This was illustrated by something that someone said on Facebook this week - 'anybody prepared to decry the ANC of the time and give no mention of the disgusting apartheid regime in place for many decades doesn't really have their head screwed on properly'.
Nelson Mandela was a terrorist. There, I said it. As a friend said to me this week, 'one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter', which may be true, but I can't support anybody who resorts to violence and murder as a way to impose 'peace'. That is a complete contradiction in terms. However, I absolutely respect the man for his vision, his bravery and integrity and his humanitarian efforts since he stepped down from a political life have been second to none. And that's where it becomes difficult to get my point across when having a conversation with someone who isn't South African. The rest of the world only knows him as a liberator, peace maker and all-round awesome dude. They forget that he was once the leader of a political party which has caused, in my opinion, the worst damage to our country's economy, welfare of its citizens and public image. When you separate the man from the political party, you start to see that the men who have followed behind him, supposedly to continue his legacy and vision, have in fact, done exactly the opposite. They have divided a country and made the rich richer and the poor poorer. The poorer classes are worse off now than they ever were under an apartheid government - that's an absolute fact. It doesn't make apartheid right and please don't think for a second that I am advocating it, because I find it abhorrent, but facts are facts and unfortunately, this is the way of life in South Africa today.
Nelson Mandela is due to be buried on Sunday and I estimate that at roughly 7am on Monday morning, building work and the haemorrhage of taxpayer funds will resume on Zuma's ridiculous mansion. I fear that the world will open their eyes next week on a South Africa without Nelson Mandela in it and I fear that his vision and legacy will soon be forgotten unless the current political party is ousted at next year's election.
I am not a politically-minded nor a religious person - the two things guaranteed to cause a conflict of opinion at any dinner table! But I do love my country and wish every single day that Dave and I could have the opportunity to live there. But the reality is that even if Dave could get work in his field in SA, the likelihood of him being able to secure a job is next to zero because of nearly 20 years of Black Economic Empowerment - an initiative that was probably fulfilled within about 5 years and then should have been closed. I absolutely agree that it needed to happen, because I have always believed that everyone is equal and the same is true to this day, which is why I get so frustrated that the irony is lost on the ANC. They are supposedly standing for equality, but yet have initiatives in place which actively block any chance of it. You can't buy logic!
To see Zuma standing up this week telling the people of SA to stand together in mourning for Mandela makes me sick. The poor man would be rolling in his grave had he had time to be put in one yet. The SA of today is not what he wanted, yet in the eyes of the international Press and opinion of the rest of the world, his vision is being fulfilled. And that's where the disconnect comes in. And it is why I don't engage in conversations with anyone who doesn't know what it is like to see the poor getting poorer because of a government that was put in place to protect them. It's devastating and incredibly disappointing.
The SA of this week has been one that Madiba would have wanted - everyone standing together united. But for how long? Not even an hour after the memorial service, the Press were hot on the heels of the fake interpreter (absolutely farcical!), the transport problems, Archbishop Tutu's house being burgled during the event and the fact that Tuesday was not made a holiday - yes, that made international news! The fact that Zuma was booed was an interesting - and frankly, refreshing - turn of events. The seats in the stadium hadn't even had time to cool yet before the international backlash started.
I grew up in apartheid South Africa and many people have said to me that it's because I am white that I don't remember things being particularly tough, which is kind of insulting, but I get it. The reality is that my parents brought us up to be respectful of everyone - just as good parents should. I had a maid, I remember being incredibly fond of her and she was a member of the family. I had a great childhood and even when apartheid ended in the early 90s, it didn't have an impact on me at all to my recollection. I have never in my life seen skin colour as a determining factor for the way that I will treat someone. However, and I genuinely wish this wasn't true, the same can't be said for the current government. And I find that incredibly sad.
No government is perfect, I realise that. After all, I live in a country which provides for an Afghan family of 10 which arrives at its border by providing them with a mansion at an eye-watering level of waste of MY tax money, but will allow a British Serviceman, who has fought on the front line for this country, to live in his car on the street. That is tragic and a very sad state of affairs.
Let the rest of the world open their eyes, indeed.
No comments:
Post a Comment